Behind the Big Business of Vaping

SOURCEvapes gives us an inside look at the rising trend.

Friday 02/26/2016

by Sean Abrams

by Sean Abrams

Snoop Dogg is into it. Katy Perry loves it. Leonardo DiCaprio has been banned from doing it at the Oscars. The art of vaporizers and the overall concept of vaping, whether with tobacco or (more popularly, cannabis), has been on a steady incline that’s almost mirrored the rise in the marijuana industry. The device, used to heat up a substance to release their ingredients in a vapor form, is said to be a much healthier smoking option, as well as a more intimate and discreet way to smoke up. In the case of cannabis, a vape will allow a faster, easier way for THC consumption without the obvious reveal of what is in the said device. With no smell, there’s no problem.

Now, if you’ve ever wondered what exactly spurred the sudden rise of the vaporizer industry, we’ve got the answer you’ve been searching for. Robert Kayvon, President of Operations for SOURCEvapes, told MERRY JANE all about the current state of vaping, how to succeed in the business, and where he sees things going in 2016.

MERRY JANE: What drew you to starting SOURCEvapes?

Robert Kayvon: SOURCEvapes started as a very small operation with huge goals, to simply build the best concentrate vaporizers and deliver the most value to our customers.

MJ: Did you have a specific strategy in place to make sure you succeeded above other rival companies?

RK: Constant innovation. SOURCEvapes has created 3 different industry-wide changes: SOURCE orb v1 was the first Double Coil vaporizer pen, SOURCE orb v2 was the first Ceramic Donut with SOURCE terra, and our SOURCE orb 3 was the first quartz vape pen. All three have now been “adapted” by our competitors at lower quality and higher prices. Our constant drive to make new products and innovate separates us from every other “revolutionary” vaporizer pen. We recently released SOURCE orb XL, the first and only vaporizer pen to feature a 1 gram concentrate capacity, Grade 1 Titanium coils, and a Quartz Triple Coil atomizer. We’ve also teamed up with Flosstradamus, one of the biggest names in EDM and Trap, to release a special edition of our revolutionary SOURCE orb XL.

MJ: What is the current state of the vaping business and why do you think it’s headed in that direction?

RK: Many players and a few winners. Too many people making the same old designs and slapping a different label on it. It’s very easy for everyone to just make a new “revolutionary” product just on marketing and consumer ignorance. True innovators are very few, so most vaporizer pens either survive on marketing, or the house of cards crumbles once the hype wears off.

MJ: What would you recommend to people just starting out?

RK: Pick a vaporizer that fits your needs and look at the product quality and build materials. Ask for actual reports on their build materials, don’t “save” money on something you’ll be breathing in and inhaling on a daily basis.

MJ: Is there something you would deem the main reason as to why it’s becoming such a popular trend?

RK: Vaporizing concentrates is much more convenient than traditional methods. For example, you can fill our Flosstradamus SOURCE orb XL with about half a gram of your favorite concentrate, dial down the temperature for smaller hits, and you can use that regularly for almost a week!

MJ: What do you think the appeal is of choosing a vape over another tool to use (especially for marijuana)?

RK: Same thing, it’s much easier to transport, enjoy, and use than traditional methods.

MJ: What are your projections for 2016 in terms of vape usage and the popularity of the business?

RK: Vape usage will continue to grow for CBD and similar uses, but the eCig market in general seems to be contracting. The overall economic situation in China is not helping the industry either, so around a third of all factories have closed, even some most wouldn’t have expected. This ends up impacting the vaporizer industry since the industries overlap, so you’ll see many companies start closing down.

MJ: Do you see vapes sticking around long or will things shift in a new direction soon?

RK: We will be releasing a new product in a few months that will completely change vaporizer pens again, so we believe they’ll be around for the foreseeable future.

Published on February 26, 2016

Sean Abrams

Sean Abrams is a Brooklyn native with a penchant for being the guy who eats only the pink Starbursts. He currently resides in Astoria and is an Associate Editor at Maxim Magazine. Follow him down the rabbit hole on Twitter at @seanybrams.